Rainy Days and Candlelit Tables
by AlwaysRed Aryssa
Summary: Ameline Jones has been down in the dumps lately, and finally one night everything caught up to her- and the horrible Thunderstorm and power outage was absolutely no help. A surprise visitor drops by- in the most unexpected way. How will he lift Ammy's spirits up again?


Ameline covered her face and sighed, lying on her couch- under a blanket. As she had done when Alfred had practically demolished her laptop, she retreated safely to a place she could lay down, and completely cover herself. Even if there was no one home, or in the area, she still didn't want /anything/ to see her cry. She hid it. As she was now.

The interview she had been oh-so-hopeful about with the publisher- her novel had been denied, due to it 'not being the kind they were looking for'. 'Too complex', 'too much thinking' for a teenage reader. Ameline curled up under the blanket and sighed, closing her eyes to try and prevent whatever tears /were/ coming from coming. Nine phone calls that never came, two rejection letters, and one. Single. Interview, that was seen as a complete waste of time.  
She heard the rain deer bell-ringing of the tags on Torvald's collar approaching, so she poked her hand out and waited for his smooth but wavy hair to rub under it- he wasn't even a year old yet, so.

She sighed. "Sorry, Torvald. Mama's not feeling... Energetic." A crack of lightning was heard outside, then thunder a moment after. Ameline sighed again. "The storm has /not/ been helping..." She sniffed, taking a shaky breath. This was going to be a long night, she was sure of it.

Even though she was under the covers of a blanket, suddenly, everything in the house went dark. She quickly sat up and looked around. "... And now there's a power outage." After shoving her face into a pillow, she got up to go to the kitchen and light some candles, after she could find a flashlight- only to have the light of her phone at first. She didn't even know how low her battery was.

She searched around the kitchen drawers until she found her flashlight and lighter, then went around the whole lower level of her house lighting candles and setting them up- not enough to cause a fire hazard, but enough to be able to see.

Ameline sighed, holding up her phone. Although her power was out, she could still get two bars of service. Turning it on, a text immediately came up from twenty minutes earlier.

'Hey, Amms. I meant to tell you two hours ago when the warning came up, but there's gonna be a huge thunderstorm in LA. Be careful. -Lei'

Ameline stared at the text for a good minute. "... Good to know my friends prefer me alive." Torvald tugged at the bottom of her jeans, causing her to glance down at the wire fox terrier, switching off the lighter. "Relax, relax. I'm not gonna set the house on fire /again/..."

"... This time." She sighed and lazily set the lighter on the kitchen counter. She glanced at the answering machine. She had actually taken the chance of listening to her messages just to see if any of the publishing companies approved her novel submission or wanted an interview- but that wasn't the risk she took.

"... Seven years. I think Dad finally gave up." She put her hands in her pockets and made her way to the living room, where she then flopped back on the sofa, and covered herself in her blanket. Ameline usually loved thunderstorms. But today, it was too dreary. The power was out, she was starting to wonder if the work she put into her novel was worth it, and maybe- secretly, she was disappointed her father hadn't called. For the past seven years she avoided checking the answering machine after the first time he called. He was upset. She couldn't deal with it, and so over the years, he would call every once and a while, and on holidays, including her birthday. And she would never check. Not once. And now, she was wondering about her dad.

And, for the first time since she moved back into the house after it was renovated(during which time she stayed in Ji-hu's spare bedroom at his apartment), Ameline felt lonely.

Thunderstorms.

After lying on the couch all curled up, there was a faint knock on the door, and of course Torvald the Fearless began barking. Ameline quite literally rolled herself off the couch and stood up. She look a bit like a mess- her hair all messed up and frizzy. She rubbed under her eyes to dry where tears once rested. She took a deep breath and went to open the door.  
Completely unprepared for what was out there.

There, down on one knee in the path leading to her porch, getting drenched, was Ji-hu Kim. His arms were outstretched, one of them holding a now sopping wet bouqet of flowers. His clothing clung to his skin, his hair the same with his face, dripping whatever rain hadn't seeped into him. He lowered his arms a little.

"Call me Criminal, I won't deny you make me want it all, everything you are! So lock it up, go on and try it, no matter what you do I'm gonna steal your heart!"

Ameline's hand instantly covered her mouth, the other holding open the door. She couldn't speak. She couldn't anything.

And so, with the split second of silence, Ji-hu resumed singing in his e usual high-pitched singing voice. "I confess, I kinda like it that you're innocent, keeping up your guard. I'll break it down, so you can't hide it, no matter what you do I'm gonna steal your heart!" He huffed slightly and wiped some of the rain from his forehead before too much of it got in his eyes. "Your thunderstorm has arrived!" He attempted to make a thunder-noise, and it passed just enough for Ameline to get the idea.

Tears were welling, and she wasn't sure why. She couldn't move her hand from her mouth, a muffled laugh slipping out from Ji-hu's thunder noise. "Oh my god-! Ji, what are you doing- wait, don't answer that, just get inside!"

Ji-hu flipped back his hair and got up, striding inside, setting the doused flowers on a table nearby. "It's raining pretty hard out there." He grinned.

"Are you /crazy/, Ji-hu?" Ameline squeaked. "You could get struck by lightning! Or catch a cold!"

"Maybe just a little crazy- for you." He winked. Ameline's insides melted. Her mind was still wrapped around that very first verse.

"And, yeah. You really /are/ a criminal, then." She cleared her throat, passing by him to return to her beloved couch, trying to hide the redness of her face, and dry her eyes. She quietly sat down, tossing the blanket to the side.

Ji-hu sat next to her, resting his elbow on the couch arm. "Well, like the song said, 'I want it all, everything you are'." He smiled, resting the side of his face on his hand. Meanwhile, his other hand was in his pocket.

Ameline stiffened up, straightening her back. Usually she would retort with something, but she didn't feel the spirit. Okay, maybe one. "Well you stole it all a long time ago, so you've already got my everything." She smiled a little.

Ji-hu grinned, looking around. "So, I notice all the lights are off, lit candles everywhere-" He glanced in her direction. "Knew I was coming?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Ameline melted inside. Not this. Anything but this. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from showing how frazzled she was inside. "No, the power went out." She frowned. "Usually I really enjoy this kind of weather because of the excitement, and think it's really cool when the power goes out 'cause it's dark, and you need candles, and flashlights, but... I dunno. I'm not feeling that excitement tonight." She shook her head and put on a smile. "But never mind that! What are you doing here?"

Ji-hu blinked. Something about Ameline didn't seem right. It was like he couldn't feel her warm and vibrant energy shooting out in all directions- it felt cold in the room. And usually, when Ameline stepped into a room, her energy and optimism and party-attitude would make it warmer, more comfortable. But not this time. He held back a concerned frown.

"Well, y'know. I remember a certain Queen of the Lab telling me that she loved thunderstorms, so," He leaned back into the couch, obviously trying to look cool- like a thug.

Ameline laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, you came at the right time- or did you bring it with you?"

Something definitely isn't right when Ameline tries to flirt and has no enthusiasm. To Ji-hu, he could tell that something isn't right whenever she just wasn't enthusiastic at all. Ammy was a party person- her friends called her a 'Party in a Can'. Something was wrong, now, he knew it for sure. He frowned, inching a little closer to her.  
"Hey, Ammy... Are you okay?"

Ameline let out a nervous laugh. "What? Of course I am, don't be silly! I..." Oh, what use was the use in denying it? Ameline knew Ji-hu at this point noticed, and she couldn't lie to him- hell, Ammy didn't have the kind of bone to actually lie to anyone. She sighed. "I'm just a little down today. I'll be okay."

"C'mon, you can tell me what's wrong. Ammy, you know I'm always here for you to give you a hug- C'mere." Ji-hu smiled a little and opened his arms.

Ameline froze up for a moment at the gesture, then flung her arms around him and held him tight. "I just- I've sent my novel to nine publishers, and they've all declined it. What if it isn't as good as I thought it might be? And for some unknown reason I've been thinking about my dad lately- and I haven't talked to him in seven years. I never check my answering machine because I /know/ he calls, and Alfred's been ignoring me or being an ass, and it hurts because he's still my brother and he's be an immature toddler!" She sniffled. "I don't know. It's just been a bit of a low-hope day for me."

Ji-hu frowned a little and hugged her tight. "You're brother's just being a real dick lately, I don't care what he thinks or feels about us, and it's stupid that he's treating you like that. And I know your novel is gonna be great, I just /know/ it. Maybe you just haven't sent it to the right publisher who's gonna make it famous." He loosened his hold a little and kissed her on the forehead. "Maybe you should call your dad. I don't know what exactly happened, and you don't need to tell me right now, but I'm sure that by now he's let it go. Maybe he just misses you. Give him a call tomorrow when the power's back on, and if you want, I'll be right in the room with you."

Ameline felt a tear or two coming on at the very last thing he said, and pulled away to rub her eyes. Her sleeves were a little damp, because Ji-hu was still a sopping mess from being out in the pouring storm. She laughed quietly. "Thanks, Ji, that means a lot to me... I know." A small crescent of a smile stretched across her lips.

Ameline paused a moment, then reached out to grab his hand. Gently pulling her up, he loosely wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the kitchen- which was faintly lit by several candles. The flames flickered and danced their faint yellow glow against the walls, slowly fading into the dark the farther their light stretched away. It wasn't very bright, but there was just enough illuminance to make out the tile-to-carpet floor, the counters, and the kitchen table(as well as the chairs). Ameline was confused, at first, but once Ji-hu let go once the reached the table, she got a small idea of what he was thinking.

"Come on," He grinned. "Hop up on the table and I'll stand on the chair." He scratched the back of his head. "I don't wanna break it."

Ameline hesitantly climbed on top of it and stood up. "I dunno, Ji, I just... I haven't been in that kind of spirit. I haven't danced in two weeks- on a table, anyway." She shyly rubbed her arm.

Ji-hu blinked, a little surprised. "Well, we'll just have to fix that now, won't we?" He carefully stepped up on the chair and took her hand, pulling it up towards the ceiling. In sync with the action, Ameline ducked under his arm and carefully spun around under it. He nodded and smiled. "See? I know you can still do it." He let go of her hand and let it gracefully fall to her side. "Try it."

Ameline took a deep breath and closed her eyes, mentally imagining the song 'Rock Me' by One Direction playing in her head. Lately it had been her 'movement song', it was really easy for her to dance to, and the beat suited her perfectly. So she felt. Her movements were delicate, but at the same time, you could still see the little spark going on inside her as she would spin around, make a sudden solid pose, move her shoulders and arms- just however her body felt it should move. Ji-hu had quietly slid down and sat back in the chair, crossing his arms and grinning to himself. 'Guess I just sit back and enjoy the view,' he thought. Eventually Ammy's eyes flashed opened, and she stopped. A grin shined broadly on her face as she threw her fist in the air.  
"You were right! I did it!" She sat down on the edge of the table.

Ji-hu chuckled and stood up. "See, I told you. Feeling any better?" He asked, a little hopeful. Happy Ammy was all he wanted to see. No one wants to see Ameline sad, is the belief.

Ammy nodded excitedly, pulling him to her and hugging him, planting a kiss on his lips. "Yeah." She smiled sweetly. "I do."

"Glad to hear it." Ji-hu grinned goofily and gave her a kiss. "I lab you~"

"I 'lab' you too! King of said Lab." Ameline laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight. Not tight enough to choke him, of course. Ji-hu playfully pulled her off the table by wrapping his arms around her, lightly spinning her around in the air, careful not to knock over candles. Ammy wasn't that heavy, and even though Ji-hu pretended to have muscle, and he had enough, supposedly, he was a little surprised he could lift her. Ameline giggled as a small child would in this situation, lightly wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him on the forehead.  
"You're the best, Ji." She said softer, lightly holding the sides of his head, and moving her lips back down to his, noses touching.

Subconsciously or instinctively- there being a fine line in between the two, Ji-hu lightly pushed her against a wall for support, still holding her up by the waist. Thunder boomed loudly, surprising the two of them, causing their eyes to suddenly open and lightly pull their heads away. Ji-hu realized the position they were both in, and guessed that Ameline did as well, with the faintly noticeable blushing on her cheeks. It was hard to tell with the light- the lack thereof. But it was clearly there. His heart pounded against his ribcage, racing. Little did he know how Ameline was going through the exact same thing.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, glancing down at the floor.

Not giving him time to set her down or move away, Ameline quickly locked her lips with his, tilting his chin back up a little. She wrapped an arm around his back, holding him closer against her, her other hand on the back of his head to assure this time- there wouldn't be a force even such as thunder to pull them away. Ji-hu blinked, and felt himself die inside- as if his heart stopped. Ameline was still back against the wall- not sandwiched, but still enough to give support. As soon as he felt his heart start beating again, Ameline's arm wasn't the only thing holding them together- well, now pressing. One of his arms pulling her closer by the small of her back, he carefully slid the other up to her shoulder blades and lightly pressed her against him.

In truth, as it was inevitable, their lips pulled away from each other a couple of times to let a small breath enter or escape. But the kissing was gentle, light, and calm. There wasn't a fire inside, they weren't passionate- in the way you would think. It was cautious, sweet, delicate- there was no excitement to it or craze. It wasn't wild or anything, the two of them certainly weren't that kind of people(unlike a certain two micronations, but that's on the down-low). Sure, there was a want feeling- the want to never have to be away, to stay close, melting into each other.  
Finally, after what seemed like forever, which in reality was probably a minute or two, Ameline pulled away- but not too far. Just enough to say; "I love you, Ji-hu, King of the Lab, so, so much."  
And with Ji-hu's response of, "I love you too, Ammy- my Queen of the Lab. As the universe; never ending." Their lips met again one more time, once again slipping into the loss of track-kept time, their minds too busy with the circling thoughts of how yeah, they really did love each other. A lot. Their minds so far off into space together, the flustered feelings were temporarily cast to the side, the racing of their hearts in their chest silent to them and unnoticeable. They stayed that way a while, and if the feeling came where they needed to pull away, they only kissed a hair deeper. Maybe even a little more. After what once again felt like the longest time, and yet not long enough, their lips gently released and eased away from each other, Ji-hu's arms lightly slipping downward to set Ameline gently back on the floor once she uncrossed her legs. She wrapped her arms around his back and lightly buried her face in his chest, faintly and ever-so-lightly inhaling his scent in. Meanwhile he himself had snaked his arms back around her waist, kissing the top of her head and lightly resting his nose there.

Ameline had been trying to think of a way to show Ji-hu just how much she loved him, and no matter what she did, or said, it /never/ felt enough, it was never /good/ enough. She eventually gave up and was completely lost as to what she could do. And yet, in that very moment, in and after those few minutes, she felt she had finally found her way how to. Just that one. Genuine. Moment, where everything was clear, and where how much Ji-hu loved her as well was impossible to miss. She could hardly fathom it. In such a careful and low moment where her usual bursting energy was toned down as calmed waters, where the usual ecstatic and high feelings just couldn't deliver the message- this moment could. She felt it, Ji-hu felt it, and there was quiet. She found her way, and was finally content. It's not excitement that sent it. It was a /genuine/ moment, where there was peace in between the both of their feelings. That sort of equilibrium, you could say. And for once, there was no urge to do or say more, there wasn't a need.

It was already ridiculously late, the time had both been ages and flown by. The rain was only coming down harder, but the thunder and lightning had slightly quieted. Eventually Ammy got really tired, and practically mumbled a forbiddance of Ji-hu to leave the house with how the weather was. Ji-hu walked with her to the guest bedroom downstairs and watched her lay down.

"Good night, Ammy." He smiled.  
"Goodnight, Ji." She yawned, cuddling up to a pillow.

Ji-hu slept on the couch around the corner, for both reasons to still be close and if something were to go wrong, where he would find Ameline sleeping on the floor next to it with a pillow when he would wake up in the morning.


End file.
